Presentation: 10 Ways to Succeed in Social Media

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Social media isn’t rocket science, but it is a big departure for businesses, nonprofit organizations, brands and institutions that have been historically dependent on traditional methods of communicating with their constituents. So to help educate those who are new to using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and the like for marketing, advertising, PR, publishing and networking purposes, here's a new presentation of mine based on a list of 10 ways to succeed in social media that I originally wrote and published as a series of blog posts. I invite you to view, download and share this presentation with your friends, colleagues and industry peers. And if you know anyone who might be interested in learning more about social media, I'm always…
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The Picture of New Marketing — Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates

Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Business, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
I've been seeing the same physician in the same building in Wellesley for more than 20 years. And I've been happy -- very happy -- with the healthcare he and his colleagues have provided me with there at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates all that time. Some things never change. And that's a good thing. But what has changed over the years is how this group medical practice markets itself. And that's also a good thing. I can't honestly say I remember how they used to promote their services back in the day. But I've definitely taken note of their marketing activities of late. And maybe that's the point. Thanks to their blog (where they publish articles about everything from "Tips for Getting Ready for the School Year" to "Computer use and…
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Talking about Social Media at the Sudbury Social Tweetup

Advertising, Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
I was very happy to co-host -- along with Phil Hollows -- the eighth Sudbury Social Tweetup last week. Phil and I started this series of networking events for people who are interested in social media in July of 2011, not really knowing what to expect. How many people would we attract? How often would we meet? What about an agenda? These were just a few of the questions we had at the time. But we're now more than up and running, hosting a gathering of about 10-15 people on the last Thursday of each month from 6-8 PM at Bistro 20 in Sudbury, Massachusetts. At the March 29 Tweetup, Ashley Hin treated the group to a fabulous presentation about Foursquare. And I had the opportunity to ask four of those…
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Confessions of an Aspiring Social Media Superhero, Part Two

Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
This is second and final installment of "Confessions of an Aspiring Social Media Superhero." Part One of my Q & A with Joe Kyle was published on this blog yesterday... [caption id="attachment_2218" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Joe Kyle, Aspiring Social Media Superstar"][/caption] I met Joe Kyle for the first time in September of last year. After talking about social media over lunch, we agreed to stay in touch and provide assistance to one another when the opportunity arose. I asked Joe a few questions recently about social media, marketing and his ambitions at this juncture in his career. Here's the second part of our Q & A... Bob: What do you think are some of the biggest benefits of using social media? Joe: Well, it’s the fastest form of media we have.…
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Confessions of an Aspiring Social Media Superhero, Part One

Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
Rare is the day that I'm not approached by friends, colleagues or even complete strangers with questions about social media. Joe Kyle was the latter. Introduced to me last September by a mutual friend, Joe was between jobs and determined to learn everything he could about Twitter, Facebook, blogs and the like. I was more than happy to oblige his request to pick my brain. I enjoy meeting new people and being asked to provide assistance. I'm always glad to help. Over lunch at Panera Bread in Waltham, MA, Joe and I hit it off from the get-go, going on and on about his career goals, the business world and our shared passion for the latest online communications and marketing tools, technologies and tactics. Among other things, what impressed me…
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The Power of Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Anyone who knows me knows how much I believe in the power of social media. Ever since I started blogging in 2004, I've been hooked on the public, open-ended dialogue that takes place online among those who can appreciate the benefits of sharing what they know and how they feel with not only their closest friends and allies, but often with complete strangers as well. It's the idea of building communities that I like so much, the notion of broadening one's horizons to the point where you're establishing new, mutually-beneficial connections with like-minded people and learning exponentially more about the world at large. But it's also how terrific Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media networks – such as the phenomenally popular Pinterest – are for simply maintaining relationships with friends,…
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A Few Words with Vistaprint’s Jeff Esposito (@jeffespo)

Blogging, Business, Direct Marketing, Facebook, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
When I was asked to host a Tweetup at the New England Direct Marketing Association’s annual holiday party last month at Tavern in the Square in Porter Square (Cambridge, MA), I knew right away who I wanted to have on the program. [caption id="attachment_2152" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Victoria Smith"][/caption] For entertainment, I turned to Victoria Smith, a very talented singer and songwriter, who put on a fabulous show for us. As for the educational piece, I asked my friend and former colleague, Jeff Esposito, to permit me to interview him about his experience with social media as a public relations manager at Vistaprint. Jeff is one the most prolific people I know in social media, having tweeted over 48,500 times to date, not to mention all the blog posts he writes and videos he records.…
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50 Reasons Why People Use Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Since I included a list of 50 reasons why people don’t use social media in my most recent post, I thought it only made sense to follow up with a similar list, only this time focusing on the opposing point of view, the reasons why people do use social media. Sure, as I wrote in that last post about those who are reluctant to jump on the social media bandwagon, “there are still plenty of skeptics, detractors and naysayers among us, especially in the corporate world, where cautiousness and conservatism abound.” But as I also pointed out, there are more than 800 million users of Facebook, over 120 people on LinkedIn and more than 200 million accounts on Twitter. There's certainly a critical mass of people using social media today,…
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50 Reasons Why People Don’t Use Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
With more than 800 million users of Facebook, over 120 million people on LinkedIn and more than 200 million accounts on Twitter, you might say the tipping point’s been reached as far as social media usage goes. Yet despite such a large critical mass using these social media properties, there are still plenty of skeptics, detractors and naysayers among us, especially in the corporate world, where cautiousness and conservatism abound. As someone who’s been talking to anyone and everyone within earshot about the benefits of using social media since I launched my own blog in 2004, I know this for a fact: Unless you’re preaching to the choir, the life of a social media practitioner and proponent is often a lonely, uphill battle. At this stage of the game, those of us with significant…
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